WY bison on the National Elk Refuge

llamapacker · Jan 24, 2021

Just got back from Jackson after a very tough hunt. My wife was successful filling her cow bison tag, but this hunt has really changed over the years. We previously hunted the NER in 2013 and 2014, when the hunting was good. The last few years have been so bad the Game and Fish Department gave successful non-residents a warning about the quality of the hunt.

So far this year, there have been bison on the refuge for a total of three days, 1/15, 1/18, and 1/22. With less than a week left in the season, the harvest will once again be very low on the refuge. We estimate about 10 bison (bulls, cows, and calves) taken on each of the three days above. There were a lot of people hunting, and it was simple luck that others pushed the bison right to us on Friday. My wife shot her cow at about 35 yards, and then the work began. We quartered, boned, and I packed the entire bison back to the truck a little over a mile away. Including the head and hide, this took all day. We considered using Tag and Drag, but opted to do it all on our own. My wife is a lot of help skinning, processing, etc., but doesn't pack much more than her gear. I packed out every ounce of meat, and spent all day yesterday whining every time I got out of my chair to take a step. I am feeling much better today...!

I heard rumors that quite a few bulls were taken on the National Forest earlier in the year, but cows almost never wander onto the forest and are only harvested on the refuge. The bison have learned not to come on the refuge until very late or after the hunting season ends, making for very limited opportunity to harvest a cow.

While we were fortunate to get it done, it seemed like quite a cluster, and we know it was mostly luck. Guided hunters on horseback run the bison shortly after shooting light, and the hunt is usually over after the first hour when all the bison run back off the refuge.

Bison are really neat animals, and we enjoy the hunt, but will think long and hard about participating in this circus again.

SS! · Jan 24, 2021

Awesome! Lots of good meat there! If it was super easy where would be the fun?

LIK2HNT · Jan 24, 2021

Glad you were able to get it done. Congratulations
Bill

jm77 · Jan 24, 2021

Tell her congrats!

nfh · Jan 24, 2021

Way to go!!!

Togwotee · Jan 24, 2021

I've never done this hunt but I'm in that country this time of year every year snowmobiling.

You say the cows are mostly taken on the refuge but then you say the hunt is over when they leave the refuge. I thought you couldn't hunt on the refuge you had to stay on the east side of the Gros Ventre up to Kelly ? I'm not arguing I just must not understand how it works.

I do know we rarely see them on the way up to Slide lake and I've never seen any past Slide Lake. I'm sure it's a tough hunt in any case from what little I've seen of them.

llamapacker · Jan 24, 2021

Bison hunters are issued a special permit to hunt on the elk refuge. The bison spend most of the time in the national park, where there is no hunting.

From August 15 through Dec 31st, you can hunt in the adjacent national forest or on the refuge. There was not a single bison on the refuge before January, but some bulls were harvested on the adjacent national forest.

The National Forest closes Dec 31, but the hunt on the refuge goes through Jan 31, or ends whenever they start feeding elk.
January 15th this year was the first day a herd of bison ventured onto the refuge. About 10 were shot, the herd split in half, one group going north back into the park and another group going east onto the National forest. So far, each group has come back onto the refuge once. They were run back into the closed areas before noon each day. They will eventually come back, and other herds of bison still way north and off the refuge may reach the refuge before January 31st, but it seems unlikely. Eventually almost all the bison will winter on the elk refuge, before heading back to the park for the summer.

The bison used to spend much more time on the refuge, some even being harvested in August. That ended about 4 years ago. Apparently the bison got the memo... What used to be a hunt over several months, is turning into a 1-2 week cluster hunt on the refuge in January. Crowding has become a real issue, and the quality of the experience is quite diminished.

Hope that clears up the confusion.

Bill

jm77 · Jan 24, 2021

I'm glad that when I hunted bull bison up there it was a fun experience on the Forest. I never saw another hunter and had no trouble finding a big bull.

Togwotee · Jan 24, 2021

Thanks now I get it. I've never applied for a tag there because I thought it sounded like a very restricted situation. it's even worse than I thought.

If you want a really fun bison hunt that's a sure great time apply for the Custer Park hunt in SD. I've taken 2 B&C bulls out of there and they have meat hunts too. only one hunter at a time .

Sounds like you had a good time in spite of it all and your wife filled her tag. can't gripe about that. if I was a resident I'd be applying for a tag too.

Ultimag · Jan 24, 2021

If she?

llamapacker said:
Just got back from Jackson after a very tough hunt. My wife was successful filling her cow bison tag, but this hunt has really changed over the years. We previously hunted the NER in 2013 and 2014, when the hunting was good. The last few years have been so bad the Game and Fish Department gave successful non-residents a warning about the quality of the hunt.

So far this year, there have been bison on the refuge for a total of three days, 1/15, 1/18, and 1/22. With less than a week left in the season, the harvest will once again be very low on the refuge. We estimate about 10 bison (bulls, cows, and calves) taken on each of the three days above. There were a lot of people hunting, and it was simple luck that others pushed the bison right to us on Friday. My wife shot her cow at about 35 yards, and then the work began. We quartered, boned, and I packed the entire bison back to the truck a little over a mile away. Including the head and hide, this took all day. We considered using Tag and Drag, but opted to do it all on our own. My wife is a lot of help skinning, processing, etc., but doesn't pack much more than her gear. I packed out every ounce of meat, and spent all day yesterday whining every time I got out of my chair to take a step. I am feeling much better today...!

I heard rumors that quite a few bulls were taken on the National Forest earlier in the year, but cows almost never wander onto the forest and are only harvested on the refuge. The bison have learned not to come on the refuge until very late or after the hunting season ends, making for very limited opportunity to harvest a cow.

While we were fortunate to get it done, it seemed like quite a cluster, and we know it was mostly luck. Guided hunters on horseback run the bison shortly after shooting light, and the hunt is usually over after the first hour when all the bison run back off the refuge.

Bison are really neat animals, and we enjoy the hunt, but will think long and hard about participating in this circus aga

She,shot it then she should have helped pack it out to the .Truck ,
That's,how it is, with my wife she shoots it
She,also helps,gut it skin it qaurter it debone it pack it back to the ranch/vehicle and process,it.
its part of hunting ,and the hunt isn't over until.the game is,back at the house,/vehicle,

PleaseDear · Jan 25, 2021

Tell the Mrs Congrats Bill.

Robb

hawkbill · Jan 25, 2021

Congratulations to you and your wife, that will be good eating

DeerHunter53 · Jan 25, 2021

Love Bison meat lot of good eating there

Wapitiwilly · Jan 25, 2021

Great job and enjoy the best damn meat there is?

Chesterwyo · Jan 25, 2021

Ultimag said:
If she?

She,shot it then she should have helped pack it out to the .Truck ,
That's,how it is, with my wife she shoots it
She,also helps,gut it skin it qaurter it debone it pack it back to the ranch/vehicle and process,it.
its part of hunting ,and the hunt isn't over until.the game is,back at the house,/vehicle,

You sure seem to have a problem with female hunters. Try to poke holes in a twelve year old girls first deer hunt, and now this. I. Bet, your, a lots’ of fun. To be, around.

jm77 · Jan 25, 2021

Togwotee said:
Thanks now I get it. I've never applied for a tag there because I thought it sounded like a very restricted situation. it's even worse than I thought.

If you want a really fun bison hunt that's a sure great time apply for the Custer Park hunt in SD. I've taken 2 B&C bulls out of there and they have meat hunts too. only one hunter at a time .

Let me stress, if you hunt bull bison in Wyoming on the NF it's the real deal; no Park guide takes you out and tells you which one to shoot. I know four guys that had the tag this year and they were all successful on the Forest DIY. Only conflicts they had were bumping into other guys, as word has gotten out where the best spots are to find the bulls.

elks96 · Jan 26, 2021

jm77 said:
Let me stress, if you hunt bull bison in Wyoming on the NF it's the real deal; no Park guide takes you out and tells you which one to shoot. I know four guys that had the tag this year and they were all successful on the Forest DIY. Only conflicts they had were bumping into other guys, as word has gotten out where the best spots are to find the bulls.

I know a gal who killed a huge bull on the NF. It was a real smoker. They hunted hard and eventually found one. only one they saw entire hunt. She hated the idea of waiting until the late hunt.

SS! · Jan 26, 2021

elks96 said:
I know a gal who killed a huge bull on the NF. It was a real smoker. They hunted hard and eventually found one. only one they saw entire hunt. She hated the idea of waiting until the late hunt.

Jm77’s bull was no slouch either. I spent a week up there in 2001 chasing bulls around on shadow mountain. Fun hunt. Saw bulls every day. My buddy had the same thought regarding hunting late and low.

BuzzH · Jan 26, 2021

Both of JM77's bulls were pretty impressive.

Togwotee · Jan 26, 2021

Custer is the real deal too. and nobody tells you what bull to shoot they tell you what bulls you can shoot. sometimes they stand there, sometimes they're running through the trees. it's fair chase and bison aren't the cagiest critters that ever walked so nuff said.

I know guys who have hunted the Jackson hunt and I've heard other horror stories. I just can't justify the price of the tag for a hunt with so many issues. but if I was a resident I'm sure I'd try.

It's good guys like llamapacker tell it like it is so we hear the good and bad . I've drawn tags where you don't hear the bad until you get there and talk to the locals and it's kind of disheartening.

jm77 · Jan 26, 2021

Togwotee said:
I know guys who have hunted the Jackson hunt and I've heard other horror stories. I just can't justify the price of the tag for a hunt with so many issues. but if I was a resident I'm sure I'd try.

I've been on almost a dozen hunts in Wyoming for bison, never one horror story. Never had to be guided. Never hunted the refuge. All but one guy killed and only because he was in horrible physical condition and he still almost got a big bull. You see it actually takes some effort to kill wild animals.

The horror stories are on the refuge. Unfortunately cow hunters have to go there, as cows rarely go on to the NF.

Ranger1 · Jan 26, 2021

Great eating! Congrats on a great cow.

Togwotee · Jan 26, 2021

I see, anyone who has a guide even when it's required isn't a real hunter. gee I bet this has never been covered before. funny how many insecure people go there right away.

I've had enough of this, my intent was to suggest another bison hunting option for llamapacker that is a fair chase draw hunt he and his wife may enjoy more. I don't want to hijack his thread in a pee pee measuring contest with Buffalo Bill himself so you get the last word Cody.

llamapacker · Jan 26, 2021

Thanks for the suggestion on South Dakota. My wife really loves bison hunting, and she is still applying in Montana - long odds, but you never know. This was her fourth bison, having hunted Utah and Wyoming twice before previously. We always hunt DIY, and aren't afraid of the challenge. I, on the other hand, have never drawn a bison tag, despite 30+ years of applying. I should draw Utah in the next couple years, and maybe some other state will smile on me as well.
There are lots of old threads about hunting bison near Jackson on the NER. One of my main objectives with this thread was to document how it has changed. I have hunted the forest years ago, when relatively few bulls were taken on the forest, but it is a great hunt. Many more bulls have been taken in recent years on the forest, and it is still a real hunt, as was mentioned earlier. The cow hunt is now another story... Who knows, perhaps the bison behavior will change, but as these are pretty expensive tags, most should understand the situation if applying for a cow tag.
Cheers,
Bill

SS! · Jan 26, 2021

Togwotee said:
I see, anyone who has a guide even when it's required isn't a real hunter. gee I bet this has never been covered before. funny how many insecure people go there right away.

I've had enough of this, my intent was to suggest another bison hunting option for llamapacker that is a fair chase draw hunt he and his wife may enjoy more. I don't want to hijack his thread in a pee pee measuring contest with Buffalo Bill himself so you get the last word Cody.

No need to get emotional about it. But you’re comparing apples to oranges ?

BradA · Feb 10, 2021

Congratulations!

wytex · Feb 11, 2021

Togwotee are those Custer bison behind a fence ? Asking because I thought they were, not sure.
If so then it is not the same kind of hunt, sorry .
Not about going guided, it's about the free range part of the hunt.
Again asking because I was under the impression the Custer bison are fenced in.

We've taken 3 cows from the NER hunt, won't apply for those again. Bull app. for me this year.
And, I have one of those horror stories form the NER.

steiny · Feb 11, 2021

Congrats on a successful hunt!

ClearCreek · Feb 11, 2021

wytex said:
Togwotee are those Custer bison behind a fence ? Asking because I thought they were, not sure.
If so then it is not the same kind of hunt, sorry .
Not about going guided, it's about the free range part of the hunt.
Again asking because I was under the impression the Custer bison are fenced in.

We've taken 3 cows from the NER hunt, won't apply for those again. Bull app. for me this year.
And, I have one of those horror stories form the NER.

wytex,

The bison in Custer State Park are behind a fence. The park is 71,000 acres is size, but it is fenced to keep the bison in.

Each fall (last weekend in September) the 1,400 bison are rounded up and once placed in the corrals, park staff sorts out 200-500 animals to be sold, vaccinates the new members of the herd, brands the new calves, and checks the cows for pregnancy. It takes about four days to work the entire herd.

Then the sorted out animals are auctioned off the following November.

Just a little different than the herd in western Wyoming.

ClearCreek